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THE SWORDS OF WASHINGTON. 

By Col. Thornton A. W^oTTiroTON, of Washington, D. C. 

In an appropriate receptacle, in the library of the Department of 
State, may be seen the veritable " Battle Sword " worn by General 
Washington, first as a colonel in the Continental service of Ver- 
ginia, and afterwards as Commander in Chief of the Army during 
the entire period of our Revolutionary struggle. 

A manuscript history of the sword lies upon it, from which the 
following extract was transcribed by the writer : 

To each of my nephews, William Augustine Washington, George Lewis, 
George Steptoe Washington, Bushrod VVashington and Samuel Washing- 
ton, I give one of the swords or cutteaux of which I may die possessed, 
and they are to chuse in the order they are named. These swords are 
accompanied with au injunction not to unsheath them for the purpose of 
shedding blood, except it be for self defence or in the defense of their 
Country and its rights, and iu the latter case, to keep them unsheathed and 
prefer falling with them in their hands to the relinquishment thereof. 

This sword was received under the foregoing provision of General Wash- 
ington's will, by Samuel Washington, and was presented to the United 
States by his son Samuel T. Washington, Feb. 7, 1843, through the Hon- 
orable George W. Summers, member of Congress from Virginia. 

The sword whose history is referred to in the above extract, is a 
handsome, well preserved blade, and is what is known in military 
parlance as a straight sabre, showing but a slight deviation from a 
right line. It has a fine hilt, unprotected by a guard, unless a slight 
" S " shaped piece of metal between the hilt and blade may be so 
regarded. The hilt is wrapped alternately with bright steel rib- 
bon, and some green material, probably a species of shagreen. 

The writer has taken the pains to make a careful examination of 
the proceedings of Congress in connection with this matter as re- 
ported in the Congressional Globe, Vol. 12, 1842-3, Library 
House of Representatives, and is happy in being able to assert that 
the record appears to bear indisputable evidence that in the matter 
of the presentation and gift, both parties were actuated by motives 
purely patriotic and disinterested. 

House of Representatives, 

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 1843. 

******* 

Mr. G. W. Summers now rose and addressed the House, viz : 
" Mr. Speaker, Samuel T. Washington, a citizen of Kanawha County in 
the Commonwealth of Virginia, and one of my constituents, has honored 
me with the commission of presenting, in his name, and on his behalf, to 



ETaia • 
.s 

a WASHINGTOfw'.'A^W 

the Congress of the United States, and through that body to the people of 
the United States * * * * the sword worn by George Washington, 
first as Colonel in the Colonial Service of Virginia, in Forbes' campaign 
a^rainst the French and Indians, and afterwards during the whole period of 
the war of Independence, as Commander in Chief of the American Army. 

It is a plain cutteaux, or hanger, with a green hilt and silver guard. On 
the upper ward of the scabbard is engraven 'J. Bailey, FishkiU. It is 
accompanied by the buckskin belt and clasp, whereon are engraven the 
letters ' G W.' and the figures ' 1757.' These are all of the plainest 
workmanship, but substantial and in keeping with the man and the times 
to which they belonged. _ i a „ ^( 

The history of this sword is perfectly authentic, and leaves no shaaow of 
doubt as to its identity." * * * * _ , w u- 

Here the speaker quoted the item already given, of General Washing- 
ton's will bequeathing the swords, and resumed: 

" In the disposition of the swords among the o nephews therein enumer- 
ated the one now presented fell to the lot of Samuel Washington, the de- 
visee last named in the clause of the will which I have read. 

This gentleman, who died a few years since, in the county of Kanawha, 
and who was the father of Samuel T. Washington, the donor I knew well. 
I have often seen this sword in his possession and received from hira the 
following account of the manner in which it became his property in the 
division made among the devisees. , w i,- f^r. 

He says he knew it to have been the side arms of General Washington 
during the Revolutionary War, not that used on occasions of parade and 
reviews; but the constant service sword of the great Chief ; that he had 
himself seen General Washington wear this identical sword (he presumed 
for the last time), when in 1794 he reviewed the Virginia and Mary and 
forces, then concentrated at Cumberland, under command of General Lee, 
and destined to cooperate with the Pennsylvania and New Jersey troops, 
then assembled at Bedford, in suppressing what has been called the 
Whiskey insurrection.' tt v ^ Cfot^o 

General Washington was at that time President of the United States, 
and as such. Commander in Chief of the U. S. Army. It was known that 
it was his intention to lead the army in person on that occasion had he 
found it necessary, and he went to Bedford and Cumberland prepared for 

'^Samuel' Washington held the position of Captain at that time himself 
and served in the campaign, many of the incidents of which he has related 

^° He was anxious to obtain this particular sword and preferred it to all 
the others, among which was the ornamented and costly present of the 

^' At thTtfme of the division among the nephews, without intimating what 
his preference was, he jocosely remarked, ' that inasmuch as he was the 
oulv one of them who had participated in military service, they ought to 
permit him to take choice.' This suggestion was met in the same spirit in 
which it was made, and the choice being awarded him, he chose this, the 
plainest and intrinsically the least valuable of any, simply because it was 

the ' battle sword.' . , » • v ^ K,r 

I am also in possession of the most satisfactory evidence, furnished by 

Colonel George C. Washington, of Georgetown the nearest ^^^^ ^^l^^ive 

of General Washington now living, as to the identity of this sword. His 



information was derived from his father, William Augustine Washington, 
the devisee first named in the clause of the will I have just read, from his 
uncle the late Judge Bushrod Washington, of the Supreme Court, and 
Major Lawrence Lewis, the acting executor of General Washington's will, 
all of whom concur in the sentiment that the true service sword was that 
selected by Captain Samuel Washington. 

It remained in this gentleman's possession, until his death, esteemed by 
him the most precious memento of his illustrious kinsman. It then be- 
came the property of his son, who, animated by that patriotism which so 
characterised ' the father of his country,' has consented that such a relic 
ought not to be appropriated by an individual citizen, and instructed me, 
his representative, to offer it to the Nation, to be preserved in its public 
depositories as the common property of all." 

******** 

Mr. Adams then rose to submit a resolution and made an eloquent speech 
thereon, viz : 

"Mr. Speaker, I submit the following joint resolution: 

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress assem- 
bled, that the thanks of Congress be presented to Samuel T. Washington 
of Kanawha County, Virginia, for the present of the sword, used by his 
illustrious relation, George Washington, in the military career of his early 
youth, in the seven years vvar, and throughout the war of our national in- 
dependence. * * * * 

That these precious relics are hereby accepted in the name of the Nation ; 
that they be deposited for safe keeping in the Department of State of the 
United States, and that a copy of this resolution, signed by the President 
of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, be trans- 
mitted to the said Samuel T. Washington. 

Received, unanimously adopted and returned to the House of Representa- 
tives where it was also unanimously adopted." 

An eloquent speech was also made in the Senate on the occasion by 
Senator Archer of Virginia. 

It was resolved also by the Plouse that 20,000 copies of the entire pro- 
ceedings on the occasion be printed for distribution. 

Mr. Briggs, House of Representatives, begged permission to amend the 
journal before that resolution was agreed to. He begged to move an 
amendment to the journal by the addition of the following letter of Mr. 
Samuel T. Washington to Mr. Summers, accompanying the sword and 
cane which was yesterday presented to Congress: 

Coals Mouth, Kenawha Co., Va., 

^,r . c- Jan. 9, 1843. 

My dear Sir: ' 

With this you will receive the war sword of my grand-uncle, General 
George Washington, and the gold-headed cane bequeathed to him by Doctor 
Benjamin Franklin. 

These interesting relics I wish to be presented through you, my dear 
Sir, to the Congress of the United States on behalf of the Nation. 

Congress shall dispose of them as may seem appropriate, and best cal- 
culated to keep in memory the character and services of those two illustri- 
ous founders of our Republic. 

I am, Sir, with esteem, yours, 
To Hon. George W. Summers, Samuel T. Washington. 

House of Representatives. 



The motion to amend was agreed to, and the resolution of the gentleman 
from Virginia was agreed to. 

The relics referred to in this joint resohition were the sword of 
Washington and the gold-headed cane left to him by Doctor Frank- 
lin, which was also presented to Congress on the same occasion by- 
Samuel T. Washington, but that portion of Mr'. Summers's speech 
relating to the cane was not quoted, as this article was intended to 
be confined to the swords. 

Concerning the final disposition of the four remaining swords, 
the authentic records are as follows : 

The sword left by General Washington to his nephew, William 
Augustine Washington, son of his half brother Augustine, and who 
by the terms of the will had the first choice, was left by him to his 
son, the Honorable George Corbin Washington, of Georgetown, 
D. C, and by him to his son Col. Lewis William Washington of 
"Belleview," near Halltown, Jefferson County, W. Va., and the 
same who was captured by John Brown's men at the time of his 
notorious raid upon Harper's Ferry in 1859. 

The sword Avhich was left by General Washington to his nephew 
Judge Bushrod Corbin AYashington, and who had the fourth choice, 
also passed into the possession of the above-named Col. Lewis Wil- 
liam Washington. See extracts from the will of the Hon. George 
Corbin Washington, deceased, of which the original is of record in 
the office of Register of Wills, at Rockville, Montgomery County, 
Maryland. 



" 1 give and bequeatlie to my said son, Lewis William Wasliington, the 
sword of General George Washington, devised to me by my father (Col. 
William Augustine Washington), and also the sword and pistol (one of them 
being lost) of the said General George Washington, devised to me by my 
uncle Bushrod AYashington." 

Will proven July 24, 1854, at Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland. 

Extract from Judge Bushrod Corbin Washington's will : 

" 14th Item. The sword left to me by General George Washington, I 
give to the aforesaid George C. Washington, under the same injunction 
that it was left to me." 

In order to make the history of the last two above-mentioned 
swords complete, the writer addressed Major James Barroll Wash- 
ington, son of the late Col. Lewis William Washington, now asso- 
ciated with the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Co., at Pittsburg, and re- 
ceived a prompt reply. As his letter fully covers the question in 
point, it is here submitted entire, in so far as it relates to the history 
of the swords : 



\ 



Pittsburg, Jan. 3, 1893. 
My dear Cousin : 

I am in receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo, * * * * * 

The swords of General Washington, of which you write, as having been 
inherited by my father, came into his possession in 1854, as bequests from 
his father. 

One was the sword sent by Frederick the Great of Prussia, to General 
Washington, with the complimentary address, " From the oldest General 
in Europe to the greatest in the world." 

My great-grand-father, William Augustine Washington, being given by 
the General's will the first choice of the swords, selected this one. 

This sword was taken by a raiding party of John Brown's men from my 
father's house near Harper's Ferry in 1859, and delivered to John Brown, 
who wore it until his capture by the U. S. Marines, when my father re- 
covered it. In 1871 it was sold with other Washington relics to the State 
of New York, and was placed in the State Library at Albany, where, I 
believe, it now is. 

The other sword, inherited through .Judge Bushrod Washington, was the 
one known as the General's mourning sword and was worn by him upon 
funeral occasions. All its mountings are black, while the hilt of the other 
one is of cut and polished steel, giving the appearance of having been stud- 
ded with diamonds. 

The mourning sword, after my father's death in 1871, was given by his 
widow to her Fon, my half-brother, and I think is still in his possession 
* * * and I have no doubt he will gladly give you any further informa- 
tion about it. 

*'* * * * * * * 

Far from having any ol)jection to your using my name in connection 
with these mattei-s, I think it would add to the authenticity of their history 
to give the source from which the information was obtained. 

******** 

Very sincerely, your friend and relation, 

J. B. Washington. 

A letter of later date than the above, from Mrs. Ella B. Wash- 
ington, widow of the late Col. Lewis William Washington, fully 
corroborates, if such a thing were considered necessary, the above 
facts as related by Major James BarroU Washington. The " mourn- 
ing sword" is still in the possession of her son, Mr. AVilliam de 
Hurtbern Washington, now (1893) residing in New York City. 

General Washington's nephew, George Lewis, son of his only 
sister, Betty (Washington) Lewis, who married Col. Fielding 
Lewis, of Fredericksburg, Va., was the second name mentioned in 
that clause of General Washin«:ton's will devising' the swords. 

The writer is fortunate in having before him an article which 
appeared in the Baltimore American newspaper of April 23, 1889, 
giving an account of an interview had with the Honorable James T. 
Bristoe of Maryland, formerly Secretary of State, which has every 
appearance of truthfulness, and in which is related quite a number 
of historical facts in relation to this sword. From it the following 
extract is made : 



" The children of Colonel Fieldinsj Lewis and his wife, Betty, the only 
sister of General Washington, were Fielding, George, Elizabeth, Lawrence, 
Robert and Howell. To his nephew George Lewis, General Washington, 
in his will, heqneathed one of his swords. The bequest was in these words : 
[Here appears in full that item of the will relating to the swords.] Major 
Lewis died in 182L During his life time he gave the sword bequeathed to 
him to his eldest son, Samuel. This Samuel Lewis had 4 sons and 2 
daughters and he bequeathed the sword to his eldest son George W. Lewis, 
a prominent lawyer of Westmoreland County, Virginia. In his early life, 
his youngest brother Henry Howell Lewis, now of Baltimore City, Mary- 
land, being then in the United States Navy, and the only military member 
of the family, having expressed an earnest desire to possess the sword of 
Washington, in a spirit of generosity he gave it to him, and afterwards by 
his last will and testament confirmed the gift." 

It would appear that Mr. Henry Howell Lewis, who died in 
Baltimore, Maryland, INIarch 17, 1893, must have given this sword 
to his daughter. Miss Virginia Tayloe Lewis, several years prior to 
his death, as the following copy of' a bill introduced into the Senate 
by Mr. Evarts of New York, March 31, 1888, would indicate : 

A Bill 
Authorizing and directing the Secretary of War to purchase from Miss 
Virginia Tayloe Lewis a sword of Washington. 

Whereas, General George Washington, by the provisions of his will, be- 
queathed to certain of his relatives the several swords of which he died 
possessed ; and 

Whereas, among these is the sword which is of exceeding historic value, 
as that worn by him upon the occasion of resigning his commission at An- 
napolis, and at his public receptions while President : Therefore, 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress Assembled, that the Secretary of War be and is 
hereby authorized and directed to purchase from Miss Virginia Tayloe Lewis, 
a direct descendant of George Lewis, the devisee under the said will, she 
being the present owner, the said sword, for the sum of twenty thousand 
dollars; and that such sum be paid out of any money in the Treasury not 
otherwise appropriated, and when so purchased, the same to be deposited 
in the State Department. 

As final action was not taken by Congress upon this bill intro- 
duced by Senator Evarts, it is presumed that the sword is still 
(1893) in Miss Lewis's possession. 

George Steptoe Washington of Harewood, Virginia, now in Jef- 
ferson County, AV. Va., second child of Col. Samuel Washington, 
oldest full brother of General AVashington l)y his fourth wife Ann 
(Steptoe) AVashington, by the terms of the will had the third choice 
of the five swords. After his decease the sword selected by him 
passed into the possession of his son AA^illiam Temple AVashington, 
who owned a handsome and valuable estate adjoining "Harewood," 
called " Meg AVillie." 

A few years prior to the late civil war, Mr. AVilliam T. AVash- 
ington removed with his fiimily from Jefferson County, Virginia, to 



the vicinity of Falmouth, nearly opposite to the town of Fredericks- 
burg, on the Rappahannock River. 

After the beginning of hostilities and the occupancy of the Federal 
armies of the country in that vicinity, Mr. Washington's residence 
and plantation fell within the Federal lines, and so remained during 
the greater portion of the four years struggle. 

In consequence, it is thought, of pecuniary embarrassments, due 
doubtless largely to the vicissitudes of war, Mr. Washington parted 
with this sword to Mr. George W. Riggs, at that time a member 
of the widely-known banking house of Riggs & Company, Washing- 
ton, D. C. 

This, the George Steptoe Washington sword, was deposited at 
Mt. Vernon in 1892, by the heirs of the late George W. Riggs, of 
Washington D. C, where it may now be seen. 



Reprinted from N. England Historical and Genealogical Register for Jan., 1894. 



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